The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1887-09-10
LAWSUIT OR LEGACY {"

1
read by every head If family. Il
shows how uncertain are the methods
0f the life insurance companies, aud
by implication how much more safe
and reliable the bcnefi iary system.
We can do no more than summarize
the salient points # the article. The
writer says: "Nowllere else in the hi :
tory of large business "rganiZations
has the debtor regulated his obligaioR
bg the morals of his creditor and iQ.
uidaled his debt by ack ckaowlcdging its
existence, and then simply charging
moral obliquity on the part at said
creditor rs the reason for not paying
L, + instance. \ drposiis $1,000 in
bank 1t is his money. lie can with
draw II when he plenses, subject of
course. to certain banking rules, which
have nnthin. Ia do with his character
rs citizen. II he is IA thief, pcriurer,
or has heen guilty of some social Irreg-
ullrity, il Dies not invalidatc his Ger
tiieale of deposit. Ills rights cannot
be impcached on ethical grounds. But
the Opposite rule has been held and is
still held by many companies 10 gov
elm life insurance transactions.
And now what is the consequences
Why. n man ia never sure hc is not
entailing II lawsuit, instead of Il Legacy,
upon hi. family, aud that. too, when
his tongue Is silent and he is mo- lnnger
able to defend himself. Perhaps nn
mans character is able to bear such
test. Nothing is more easy than Ia
pick flaw in the character of dead
man. Mlliof.s al dollars have been
Withheld from heirs by the threat Ia
blackcn tEc name ot II lIClnved father
or husband, male all the more terrible
on account ot iis yagnrnrss. In the
language OF the aforesaid writer: And
not only this. but upon the finding ol
some slight, wholly lminaterlal flaw in
lis staiemcn. (Which II failed To find
when lac was in tile hands of its agents
aud officers IN somr companies he not
only iortclts the right nf his heirs to
their purchased Inheritance, hut the
Company retains his money which he
las paid besides. This is surely II
dangerous contract for many man TO
sign. 1t Is placing temptation and
"A l,ower IN the hanus of corporation
that IL has never vel been M the nature
of cor puratons not la abuse"
See how it works. The question is
asked: AT what a-,c did yonr grand.
parents diri Ali four nf them. Few
l,rfsons can correctly answer tina: qurs-
lion Many do not know. Trey only
have vague impression, founded AN
mere rumor, aud ~ reply, aud pay
upa premium fnr 10 years. and shortly
alter uic. Now the trouble begins
One doctor says the death was caused
by c0nsumption, another, bl0Od-poisOn
or general debility. The company
ransack the cradle and The grave and
find some old person who will swear
that Ia the best of their recollection
grandfather ar grandmother had died
al consumption. The pollcy-h"l'ler is
dead and the heirs are powerless 10
contradict this vague testimony. What
fOIowsi The company sends AN agent
tn the widow. Win assures her thai
there Is fatal flaw III her husbands
policy, that they would like Ia be gen
ernus IN her atllIoiion and viii pay
small amount il she will sign n r..lease
She is poor, has II number of children
IL cotns and feed, and reasons ''bird
in tile hand is worth Two in the bush.
In this way milliols OF money are kept
from needy heirs.
Take case. In 1873 Col. Dwight
died Gazing insurance. an his life for
$265,D00. A large portion at this he
carried Tor years. Fifty thousand in
one company was promptly paid.
After few days' hesitnncy another
company paid $50On. Nineteen com.
panies contested the claim. senator
CmkIlng wns on tile side ut the heirs,
and the contest WAS one at the hardest
and bitterest on record. and finally
these goulish companies won, after
having dug up Col. Dwi.ht's body
several times in the effort To prove that
he was poisoned "r that he had hung
himself, upun purely technical point.
And that was that The Colonel did not
state that he hal at one time owned n
hotel where liquor WIS sold. Now
.rcmem Der that for months they had
tried to prove that he had been Killed.
then that no had committed suicide,